OpenAI has expanded its advertising programme to India, bringing sponsored content into ChatGPT conversations for the first time in the country. From August 27, users aged 18 and above on the Free and Go tiers will start seeing ads, while users on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education paid plans will not.
Ads will be labelled as sponsored and appear below an AI-generated response “when there is a relevant sponsored product or service”. OpenAI said advertisements will not influence ChatGPT’s responses and will not appear alongside sensitive or regulated topics such as mental health and politics.
The company said the programme gives Indian businesses “new ways to reach people when they are exploring options, comparing choices, or working toward a decision”. It added that advertising revenue supports its “continued investment in free and affordable access to relevant AI tools.”
India, which has more than 100 million weekly active users, was among the first markets to receive ChatGPT Go. The subscription costs Rs 399 per month and was offered free for 1 year to eligible users under a limited promotion.
ChatGPT ads began as a US testing pilot in February 2026. Microsoft Copilot and Google’s AI Overviews also carry advertisements, while Anthropic has said its Claude chatbot will remain ad-free.
How ChatGPT Ads will work in India
OpenAI has partnered with WPP and Omnicom to introduce ads from more than 50 brands in India this week. The partnership is non-exclusive, with more agencies expected to be added.
Its self-serve ads manager will launch on September 4, 2026. Businesses of all sizes can sign up, with daily advertising budgets starting at Rs 725.
“With ChatGPT Ads, businesses of every size can introduce themselves at relevant, high-context moments when decisions are beginning to take shape,” Dave Dugan, Vice President and Head of Global Ads Solutions, OpenAI, said.
“Our goal is to make those interactions useful, help marketers design for intelligent experiences, and preserve what makes ChatGPT valuable: independent answers, conversations that stay private from advertisers, and meaningful user control,” he added.
OpenAI’s privacy rules for ads
OpenAI said it will not sell user data or share conversations with advertisers. Advertisers will not receive information about users’ age, location or interests for targeted advertising.
Advertisers will instead receive aggregated campaign data, including impressions and clicks.
Users can dismiss ads, submit feedback and see why an advertisement was displayed. Some personalisation data may be used for advertising, but users can disable personalisation and clear advertising-related data.
“You can turn off personalisation, and you can clear the data used for ads at any time,” OpenAI said.
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